


Reveal Your Secrets

by beyondantares



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus, F/M, Fluff, Gen, really just self indulgent fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 14:56:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7110268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beyondantares/pseuds/beyondantares
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James has a secret he's kept from Lily, and he has to tell her somehow. Once he finally gets up the nerve, her reaction isn't exactly expected but welcome anyway. Mostly just two fools in love and a few Marauder family feels.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Reveal Your Secrets

**Author's Note:**

> Really, really, just self-indulgent fluff here. I'm fond of filling in missing scenes from the characters' lives, so there's not really a plot. Enjoy!

James’ quill caught roughly on his parchment for the third time in ten minutes. He glanced across the table at the beautiful, red-haired girl immersed in her work. It was hard to believe Lily was going out with him now, after years of dissonance. If this ruined what they had, if this interrupted such bliss—well, this was too important. Lily might be angrier if she found out later, and friends came first anyway. 

James set down his quill on his unfinished Potions essay and cleared his throat softly. Lily continued to write steadily, her graceful hand reflecting an untroubled mind. James was momentarily mesmerised by the slow slip of her auburn hair over her shoulder, into her face, until Lily tucked it back behind her ear.

“You’re staring,” she said, still without looking up. 

“Sorry,” said James quickly. Now, free to look at her whenever he pleased, it was irresistibly tempting to just drink in his fill all the time. “Erm, d’you fancy a stroll?”

Finally, Lily lifted her head, arching a brow at him. “Now? We’ve got so much work to do. You, especially. I could hear your quill scratching from here.”

“Come on, it’s the winter hols! Pad—I mean, Peter and Sirius are already off fooling around, and nobody else is working. Well, Remus is in the library, but he actually likes it in there. Wouldn’t you rather get some fresh air than stay cooped up in here?” James nearly added that she looked stressed and tired but stopped himself in time, recalling that girls didn’t always appreciate such insights. 

“And I assume this fresh air must be accompanied by your charming presence?” quipped Lily, but she was smiling as she allowed James to lead her out of her seat by the hand. 

“But of course.” James grinned at her, bowing low and brushing his lips against the back of her hand. Lily only rolled her eyes in reply, a happy flush covering her cheeks.

As they left the common room, it was comforting how naturally Lily’s hand slipped into the crook of James’ elbow. Lily no longer blushed when her friends smirked as they passed; on the contrary, she tipped them rakish winks in James’ plain sight. The more flustered it got him, the more she did it. James purposely navigated them through the halls in a way that would prevent encounters with any of his friends, who would often whoop loudly at the two. Not that it troubled Lily much, but he would rather not have to escort another fellow Chaser to the hospital wing with leeches all over their skin. 

They made to the grounds without incident. Lily glanced at him suspiciously when James hardly noticed the shouts of snowball fights near Hagrid’s hut, and instead he led them towards the other side of the lake instead. The air froze calm and still around the movement of their breaths except for a few snowflakes falling from a lazy cloud overhead. Lily took the time to idly muse on how quickly their last year had flown by, well-used to letting James surface on his own speed when deep in thought.

“You’re curiously silent,” said Lily, bumping him with her shoulder when he stopped suddenly at the far bank of the lake. 

James revived and then bumped her back. “Just last week, you complained that I never shut up. Then again two days ago. And again at breakfast—“

Lily shut him up for a few minutes, using her fool-proof method.

“—mm—Okay, I actually brought you out here because I needed to tell you something,” panted James, pulling back regretfully. His skin was suddenly buzzing with nerves again, and it was fortunate his scarf had loosened itself somehow to allow the refreshingly cold air on his skin.

“Oh?” Lily picked her cap off the ground. Now they were getting somewhere. 

“Yeah. I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while, and it’s kind of big so don’t freak out, okay?” James looked around surreptitiously, even though they were quite alone. 

Lily was filled with curiosity, but knowing James, it would be better to just let him talk himself out without distraction. “All right, go ahead.”

“Okay, a few years ago we—ah, hmm, well I guess I should start with—er. Look, maybe it’s better if I just show you…”

“If you’re trying to surprise me with what you keep under your robes, don’t bother,” said Lily before she could help herself. “We all saw it after that Quidditch game, during the party when you got drunk on firewhisky and pulled your—“

“No—no, it’s not that.”

“In this weather, it’d just freeze and chip off in a second, wouldn’t it?” she mused. “Would it take the whole deal or just the—“

“Lily,” James whined, his ears turning a glorious mauve. “Look, just—“ 

Lily blinked, and suddenly a great stag stood where her boyfriend had been a moment before. She blinked again, her previous train of thought entirely forgotten, and James reappeared, grinning wanly. 

“So… I’m an Animagus, as you can obviously tell. What do you think?” asked James, twisting his scarf in his hands and looking nervous as all hell. 

Lily stared at him for a full second, then burst out laughing. She couldn’t stop and doubled over, tears already starting to stream down her face.

This was not what James had expected.

“Um, okay. I take it you’re not skeeved out by me turning into a deer, which either means you already knew, or it triggered a sudden mental breakdown, in which case, oh my god I’ve broken my girlfriend!” 

By now, Lily had regained some control and waved his comment aside with one hand. “I’m so sorry,” she gasped, “but you have to admit it’s great. I mean, I knew you were always horny, but to take it to that extent—that’s just excessive.”

“Lils, I’m being serious. I’m an Animagus, but you can’t tell anyone because I’m unregistered. Sirius and Peter are, too.” James was shocked she wasn’t reacting more, but that was simply Lily; he suspected she knew all his secrets before he even made them. He pouted when she laughed again, so of course Lily couldn’t resist planting a swift kiss on his cheek. 

“I know, I’m sorry. That’s great, though, you look great, all furry and h-horny.” Lily suppressed a giggle. She relaxed her face into a more serious expression, then asked, “Okay, now you have to spill the rest. What animals are Sirius and Peter? I can just see Sirius as a Diricawl, which, by the way, is called a Dodo bird in the Muggle world. Also, how is this” –with a general wave in James’ direction— “supposed to help Remus? You could easily gore him with those antlers, which wouldn’t do him any favours, I’m sure. He’s already badly wounded enough on his own.”

Now it was James’ turn to gape. “You know about Remus?”

“I have a brain, don’t I, honey? I figured out by the end of first year. I worry about him, when he shows up at breakfast looking paler than death…” Lily trailed off, her face truly serious now.

James grimaced at the memory of the first time they’d found Remus not even conscious in the morning. “Yeah, but he says it’s worse when he’s alone. It-It helps him to be around other animals. I’m just surprised about you. Even Remus himself didn’t think you knew.”

“Well, it wasn’t like I was going to treat him any differently!” cried Lily indignantly. “I was friends with him long before your frontal lobes even developed. Remus has always been kind and intelligent, and I’m sorry he suffers so much. I knew you boys were helping him somehow, I just didn’t know exactly what you were doing.”

“Oh.” James ran his fingers bewilderedly through his hair. “Okay… so… Sirius is a dog—“

“—I know—“

“—literally, I mean, he’s this enormous, black dog. He and I are large enough to handle Remus. Peter’s a rat, and he helps press the knot on the Whomping Willow that lets us in without being killed.”

Lily digested this with her brow furrowed. “What if you guys get caught?” 

“We don’t. We know these grounds better than anyone. My dad’s cloak really helps, you know.”

“But you’re letting a werewolf run around freely! What if he escapes and hurts someone? The guilt of it would probably kill Remus alone.” Lily’s impassioned, green eyes thrust up in his face brought a sickening wash of preemptive grief over James’s insides. 

“There have been a few close shaves,” he admitted shamefacedly, “but we’ve been so careful since, and Remus is much better now. It’s hard to explain. It’s like—it’s like Muggle-borns being accepted by the Wizarding world. You try to learn how the other side thinks, maybe live a little in their world, and in turn, they reflect more of your humanity. The wildness and anger is still there, but the gentler side gives in. Does that make any sense?” James told himself the wetness in his eyes was only a response to the cold air. 

Lily’s chest felt suddenly tight. She smiled and lifted a hand to stroke a few dark curls out of James’s face. “It does. I understand completely.”

James gave her a relieved smile, his full-watt charm slipping out just for her. Lily looped him close and kissed him fiercely, taking them both by surprise, but James quickly took it in stride.

When they broke apart, Lily whispered, “I’m so proud of you, James. I love you.”

James’ look of breathless delight dazzled her. “Really? I mean, I love you, too. So much, in fact, you can hardly know—“

“I know. Can we put a red nose on you for Christmas? I’m kidding! Come on, let’s go prank the others.” Lily clutched his hand tightly, and together they ran back to the castle.


End file.
